The T.Rice is a different beast. I would use the T.Rice for maching down runs. I'd also use it for bigger mountains.

I believe the Heritage would be a better comparison to the Rice than the Proto. I haven't ridden the Heritage yet.

Please elaborate! I go to 2 mountains (east cost). Icy for the most part. But one is big with huge park jumps and one is small with many tops & trails. I'm looking at something that can (1) Handle Ice, (2) Be awesome for big jumps & landings, (3) fast & damp, and (4) somewhat playful for spins, side trails, trees, 3's and stuff.

I had the T.Rice 2012 164.5 in my eyesight for all that I want until I saw the Proto CT. Any thoughts?

Do you have any idea where that board falls in the never summer line? You said the flex was about a 6 so is it stiffer than a Sl? or in between an evo and sl? I havent ridden any of their boards before, but was insterested in getting one.

I have one in my possession as well at the moment. Not quite ready to put up a full fledged review (need two weeks until I take it to Mt. Bohemia), but initial impression on the board is VERY positive. I personally think it's a hair little softer than a 6 (maybe more like a 5-5.5 on my personal scale, but I also have 10-15 lbs on Leo and that's honestly probably just semantics).

The pop is pretty fantastic for a reverse camber board. Great pop, but also easy to pop. You can easily slap it behind the back foot, but you can also load up like on a traditional cambered board because you have something to fight against in the tips.

I'm really enjoying the feel of the board. I love my 09 SL, but at times found it to be a little too damp for my tastes. I have been trend a bit more "lively" in my tastes, but not going overboard... this board really hits that sweet spot I think.

I still need to put the board through a few more conditions (chopped up Sierra cement-esque crap and pow), but this so far my impressions are very positive. I think I'd prefer the 160, but I'm having a lot of fun on the 157.

I am stoked about this board. I'm not doing park much anymore but still want an all mountain freestyle. Would this be a better board for that purpose than the SL?

I found this board to be a hair softer than my 09 SL, but I hear the SL is a bit softer nowadays so flex is probably push. This board is also poppier than I remember my SL being new (although that was a couple years and 50-or-so riding days ago). The biggest difference is that this board is noticeably lighter and less damp with a more aggressive sidecut. You could go either way, just going to depend on preference.